


Why do you cry?

by someoneyoucantstand



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: 3x08, Angst, Angst and Feels, Canon, Gen, Hurt, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Season 3 Spoilers, Stranger Things Spoilers, basically an extended version of THAT scene, canon character death, no comfort, siblings bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-09 16:24:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19479628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/someoneyoucantstand/pseuds/someoneyoucantstand
Summary: “BILLY!” She heard herself scream through the deafening ringing of her ears as the fifth arm struck the finale blow.





	Why do you cry?

**Author's Note:**

> okay so fuck you netflix.   
> I listened to 'Carrie and Lowell' by Sufjan Stevens when I wrote this and the title is from his song, 'Fourth of July', which i found extremely fitting due to the circumstances.

Max felt as if it were herself being stuck by the arms of the mindflayer as she watched Billy’s side be pierced for a fourth time. It seemed as if arms were appearing from every inch of the monsters body - however the most concerning was the one slithering from its gaping mouth. She watched as he was raised by the other arms far into the air to be at level with the mindflayer’s fifth arm.

The arm moved towards him as Billy spluttered on black blood dripping between his lips and staining his teeth. Max felt her chest clench and her breath hitch as she attempting to run towards him or find Lucas’ rockslinger or make El use her powers or find a knife or do _anything_ to save her brother-

But it was too late.

“BILLY!” She heard herself scream through the deafening ringing of her ears as the fifth arm struck.

Billy gasped as the fifth arm pierced him directly in the chest, twisting and cutting into lungs with its teeth. He felt a bubble of blood and began coughing as he was lowered to his knees, the rest of the arms retreating as the final arm pulled away from his chest.

He felt as if his world was going in slow motion as he felt a hand out to the gaping wound before toppling and falling to the floor, arms falling to his side. In this position, his coughing spluttered the black blood across his cheeks.

He heard the pumping of feet and made an attempt to turn his head towards the source, his movement’s sluggish and achieving nothing.

“Billy!” He head Max gasp as she fell to her knees at his side. Her little pale fingers turned black as her hands scrambled to press down on his wounds in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding as they had done with El’s leg.

“M….max,” Billy groaned at such a low volume he was surprised she could hear him over her cries.

Her hands scrambled even more at this point, nail beds completely ruined alongside her white socks as his blood began to spill further across the hard floor of the food court. Billy groaned again – noting with fear that his breaths were becoming more painful, more wheezier and heavy- and reached an arm up to grab one of her hands in his own.

“M-ma-x,” he coughed, “there’s t….too man- ” he cut himself off with a cough before greedily trying to take in air as he watched her horrified expression. Nevertheless, he continued. “-too many c-c-uts.”

He held her smaller hand in his as he reached with the other one for her face. His arm gave up and instead he settled for lightly tugging on one of her braids.

“Billy, please.” She begged. Her eyes and the tip of her nose were red rimmed with such an intense red, almost as if she had a cold.

Billy wished this was just a cold.

Despite the steady streams of tears that made clear tracks down her dirt stained cheeks, her eyes were still extremely watery and full, as if she hadn’t shed any yet.

The imagine of her face in front of him began fading in and out, his vision becoming blurry as he tugged on her braid once more. There was no force to it but she still felt it enough to grab the hand with her free one that wasn’t clenched in his and guide it to her cheek, burying her face into it, her tears dripping through his black blood.

“Y-you’re going to be okay.” Her voice was shaky but she held determination at such a fierce level only a child could hold.

Billy likely shook his head and rubbed her cheek with his thumb, feeling the wetness. His fingers left black stains on her face but she didn’t seem to mind as she gripped both hands tighter -one of her face and one on his chest.

“I-I didn’t m-mea-n too,” he began.

“N-no of course not!” She cried back. “It was the mindflyer!” At this, she began rambling. “I-I could have, no, _should_ h-have told you l-last year. You would have been more prepared and could have fo-”

“N-no.” He cut her off. He went to speak but gasped in pain.

“Billy!” If it was possible, Max began crying harder, pushing her hand joint with his onto his wound. The black blood wasn’t sobbing, she knew that in the back of her head, but she was moving on auto pilot to save him.

“I- I meant being mean to you.” Billy felt his eyes flutter but pushed himself to continue. He couldn’t let go yet, not until he let her know. “Y-you were only 6 b-but you were c-cool, okay? N-Neil had bought you you’re first skateboard so yo-ou’d warm to him a-and I watched you do…. do tricks- ” the pain in his chest intensified and he felt his eyes close for a second time before snapping himself back. “Bu-t it was too late. I was so _angry_ at him driving my Mom away and you- he treated you like his own kid when –when he could have tre-treated me like that”

“No! Billy no! You were fine in California - we, we were comfortable around each other!” Max tried to reassure him. His anger and, what she had thought was, hatred towards her had only started the year previous upon their move to Hawkings.

Almost has if he read her mind, Billy spluttered a “Hawkings” and Max was quick to reassure him that it was okay, that she understood “why you behaved like that! There’s still good in you, Billy. Please! Don’t go! W-we can get an ambulance here! Please hold on!”

Billy, however, grinned. His teeth and gums were stained black. He felt himself drifting again. He knew what was coming. 

Patting her cheek one last time, he dropped his hand and rested it on top of her other one that, in turn, was clenching his own.

“B-bill” She stuttered.

“I’m sorry.” He breathed before going limp.

Max felt as if everything froze around her.

“Billy?” She questioned, nudging his shoulder.

He didn’t move.

“BILLY!” She screamed, violently shaking his body.

Her own body shook with her sobs as she screamed for her brother, her sight of him becoming clouded by her tears as they fell heavier than ever.

“BILLY! PLEASE WAKE UP!” Max felt hands grab at her shoulders but shook them off as she sobbed, thumbing the palms of her hands into her brother’s lifeless body. Her small body heaved with sobs as she screamed. She felt herself being pulled away from him and tucked under El’s arm. 

She could hear her own screams, feeling disassociated from herself as she screamed and cried for the brother she had loved but had never learnt to _like._ She was shaking all over, her mind and body jittering in the complete opposite to Billy’s still form.

“Billy…..please......” she whispered, her tears falling onto El’s shirt.

Outside, the sounds of sirens and helicopters made themselves known.

Aid and assistance, _medical assistance_ , was on its way.

But they were late.

They were too late and he was already _gone._

**Author's Note:**

> basically just an extension of Billy's awful death because I feel like Max deserved some finale words if she was going to have to deal with that was happening.


End file.
